The Journey
by stargatefan87
Summary: Daniel and Vala are on a race against time to save a dying Cameron.
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Journey

Summary: Daniel and Vala are on a race against time to save a dying Cameron.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate.

**Chapter 1: Foreboding**

"Go away, I'm busy." Daniel Jackson didn't even bother raise his head up from his book to greet the individual who had just entered his office. He already knew that it was Vala, he had long since memorized the sound of her specific footfalls as she bounded into the room.

"I'm not going anywhere darling, I have something important to discuss with you." Vala sat herself on Daniel's desk and pushed his book away.

Daniel quickly grabbed her hand to stop her. He glared angrily at her. "I'm trying to do some research here, do you mind?"

The raven-haired alien smiled slyly at him. "Not at all, I never mind bothering you while you try to work." She yanked her hand free of his grasp and closed his book in one swift motion.

Daniel felt his annoyance growing by the second. Why must she constantly annoy him?

"What do you want Vala?"

Vala inched her body closer to his before answering. "I don't think that we should go on this mission." Her face changed from playful to anxious in a millisecond.

Daniel sighed in frustration. "Before you say anything else, no we cannot skip this mission to go shopping. I know you miss Sam, with her being on her honeymoon with Jack, but I am not your shopping buddy replacement. Besides that, since Teal'c is offworld, you and I are the only ones going with Cameron on this mission."

Vala frowned at him. "I wasn't going to ask you to go shopping Daniel. I just have a very bad feeling about this mission, a horrible sense of foreboding about the whole situation."

Daniel was surprised. Vala was actually being sincere, she really did seem worried. "Have you told General Landry or Cameron about this 'feeling' you have?"

She nodded and then bit her lip. "Yes, they both just laughed it off. I thought that maybe you could talk some sense into them." She looked back at Daniel hopefully.

"I'm sorry Vala, but they are the ones in charge, not me. I'm sure that your bad feeling doesn't mean anything."

"You don't believe me either?" She sounded hurt.

Daniel repositioned his chair so that he was facing Vala more directly. "Hey, I didn't mean it that way. I believe that you got a bad feeling, it happens to me at times too. What I meant is that usually these feelings are just feelings, not actual premonitions of something bad that is going to happen."

Vala hopped off of the desk. "I understand, but can we agree to at least take extra caution on this mission?"

Daniel gave her a brief smile. "Of course, now go get ready, it's almost time to leave."

Later on that day, Daniel, Vala, and Cam arrived at P4K-723. They were greeted by green fields sprouting some sort of crop and a cluster of buildings in the distance.

"Okay guys let's go explore the village over there." Cameron started walking towards the buildings with Daniel and Vala following suit.

Daniel sneaked a glance in Vala's direction. She had an unsettled look on her face, marring her pretty features. She was obviously still upset by her bad feelings. He hated seeing his normally bubbly and vivacious friend look down, so he went over to her and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. Even though she annoyed him at times, she was a good friend, and he knew when she needed some comfort.

"It's going to be okay Vala."

Vala pressed her body into Daniel's a bit. "I hope so."

When the team arrived at the village, they could tell that something was seriously wrong. The village square was deserted, not a soul in sight. Carts of fruit stood spoiling in the sun, building doors were left ajar, and a sickly smell filled the air.

Cameron wrinkled his nose in disgust. "It smells worse than my Uncle Carl did after he was done cleanin' up the horse stalls."

Daniel and Vala nodded in agreement. "What happened here?" Vala asked to no one in particular.

Daniel walked over to the fruit carts and inspected the rotting produce. "It looks like this fruit has been spoiling for days now, something definitely went wrong here."

Cameron poked open the door to the closest building. "Oh my...Jackson! Vala! Get in here now!"

The pair raced to join Cam. Daniel entered the room to see five corpses littered around the room. The smell was worse there, almost unbearable.

"Eww!" Vala turned on her heel and ran from the building to back outside.

A muffled groan filled the air. Daniel and Cameron turned to see that one of the bodies was moving, still alive.

Cam rushed over to the man's side, trying to help him. He kneeled over the man, looking for wounds, anything that would give him a clue as to what had happened to him.

"Get...get out. Now," The man grumbled and then his head went slack.

Cam immediately tried to rouse him. "Sir! Sir?" He touched his neck, looking for a pulse.

Cameron turned to Daniel and shook his head. "He's dead, I think we should leave."

Daniel nodded in agreement and they left the building. Vala was waiting outside, her creamy complexion even paler than normal in her shocked state.

"I...I told you..."

So she had. She had been correct all along. Daniel sighed. "Yes, you did. I'm so sorry that no one took you seriously, now let's get out of here."

The team hurried to the stargate and back to the SGC.

When they arrived back on Earth, General Landry demanded that they immediately be checked out by Doctor Lam, given the circumstances.

Daniel felt fine, but he had noticed that Cameron had started to sneeze when they returned through the stargate.

Dr. Lam gave Daniel and Vala a clean bill of health and then went to check out Cameron. By that time, he was coughing and sneezing and looking like he had been hit by truck.

Dr. Lam frowned. "I don't like the looks of this, do you think a disease could have killed the people on that planet?"

Daniel shrugged. "I really don't know, but they showed no signs of being injured, but could a disease really show signs this quickly if Cam did pick it up?"

Dr. Lam gave Daniel a stern look. "I think you know as well as I do that alien diseases do not always resemble Earth ones. The truth is that until I know what is wrong with him, I am putting him into quarantine. If you or Vala show any symptoms at all, come to me immediately."

Daniel agreed and relayed the information to a shaken Vala.

"I knew that something was going to happen! And now...and now...poor Mitchell is dying!" Vala sobbed and buried her face in Daniel's chest.

He put his arms around her. "Hey now, we don't know that he is dying, maybe he just has a bad cold." Daniel tried to reassure Vala, but he knew that they both knew that this was no cold. Cameron was in trouble.

**End of Chapter 1. What do you think so far?**

**-J**


	2. Chapter 2

Title: The Journey

Summary: Daniel and Vala are on a race against time to save a dying Cameron.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate.

**Chapter 2: A Cure**

Cameron was getting sicker and sicker by the minute. He face looked ghostly in complexion, he was coughing and sneezing violently, he had a high fever, and he could not eat without vomiting.

Dr. Lam had put him into quarantine, and all of the doctors and nurses had to wear hazmat suits when they needed to take care of him.

Daniel was beside himself with worry. He and Cameron had become good friends over the past few years and he had lost too many people in his life already, he didn't want to lose another.

Vala was worse than Daniel, she went from extreme sadness to extreme anger in seconds. Daniel would try to calm her down, but to no avail. She was upset that her friend might be dying, and angry that nobody had taken her seriously when she had a bad feeling about their mission.

"Dr. Jackson and Vala please report to General Landry's office." Daniel shook himself out of his worried daze and listened to the announcement.

Moments later, he and Vala were sitting in General Landry's office along with Dr. Lam.

"Daniel, Vala, Carolyn has told me that Colonel Mitchell is not responding to any of the treatments that she has tried..."

Carolyn cut him off. "Yes, and if I don't get that fever down, he may die."

Vala's eyes went wide with shock. "He's going to die?"

Carolyn looked at her gravely. "It's possible, he needs a cure and fast."

Daniel turned to the general. "Why did you call us in here?"

Landry sighed and clasped his hands together. "I need you and Vala to go back to that planet. You will wear full hazmat suits at all times of course, but Carolyn and I think that the only way we can find a cure for Colonel Mitchell is to go back to the source of the disease."

"You want me and Daniel to go back?" Vala looked anxious about the thought of returning to the planet.

"Yes Vala. The hazmat suits should protect you from contracting the disease. I just need you two to try to find out what caused this disease and how we might be able to fight it. I would send Carolyn with you, but we are short on doctors right now and Mitchell needs all the help he can get."

"We will do all that we can General Landry," Daniel spoke up.

"Good, now go get ready, you're leaving now."

Minutes later, Vala and Daniel were suited up and headed back to P4K-723. Daniel really hoped that they would be able to find something, anything to help Cameron.

Upon arrival, the pair headed back to the village. It looked much like they had left it the previous day. The carts of fruit still rotted in the hot sun, and Daniel took out a bag to collect a few pieces. He doubted that the fruit had anything to do with the disease, but he wasn't going to leave anything to chance.

Vala wrinkled her nose at the spoiled produce. "This is disgusting, I think we should go back to where the bodies were. Maybe we could find a clue on one of the other victims."

Daniel zipped up the bag of rotten fruit tightly and nodded at Vala. "Yeah, let's go."

When Daniel and Vala got closer to the building's door, Daniel heard an odd shuffling noise coming from within. He looked at Vala and seeing that she heard the noise as well, slowly opened the door and peered around the corner.

The same corpses were still lying there, but there was another body in the room as well, a living body. An old woman with shocks of pure white hair stood with her back facing to them, stooping over one of the bodies.

"What are you doing here?" The woman jumped and turned quickly at the sound of Daniel's voice.

She squinted at Daniel and Vala. "What are _you _doing here?" She gave them a creepy grin that revealed gaps in her few crooked teeth.

Daniel stepped forward. "Look lady, we are the ones with weapons here, so I suggest that you answer me."

The lady gave an odd chuckle. "You won't harm me, but to answer your question, I'm here to see if I missed any of the survivors since last time that I was on this planet."

Vala noticed the woman's bulging pockets, as well as the trinkets that threatened to spill out of them. "It looks like you've been stealing things."

She shrugged. "Call it what you will, they won't miss this stuff."

Daniel was disgusted at this woman's behavior, but he still had another question. "You aren't worried that you might catch this disease?"

The old lady cackled. "No, I have the cure. You see, this disease ravaged my home planet months ago. I discovered a cure so when I heard that this planet had been stricken, I came to administer the cure and take any survivors back to my planet with me."

Vala's eyes lit up. "You have a cure? We need it! Our friend has contracted this illness and he is dying."

The woman smirked at Vala. "I could give it to you...but I need something in return."

Daniel rolled his eyes. Of course there was a catch, there always was. "What do you want?"

"You don't think I cured these people for free do you? No, no, I required a fee. The people you see here could not afford it, and thus they are here rotting." She laughed eerily again.

Daniel was reminded of Linea for a moment. This woman was not necessarily a destroyer of worlds, but she could be if the world in question could not pay her.

Vala was desperate. "What do you want in return? You want naquadah? We can give you naquadah!"

The woman shook her head, her fuzzy white hair going in all directions. "Naquadah? Now what would an old woman like me do with that? No, I enjoy the finer things in life. I will happily give you the cure, in exchange for the Shashana gem."

Daniel wrinkled his forehead in confusion. "What is the Shashana gem?"

"I've heard of it," Vala piped up. "It is rumored to be one of the most beautiful and valuable gems in the galaxy. A large cut gem that is a brilliant silvery blue color."

Daniel wasn't surprised that Vala knew about this valuable gem. "Of course you would know about it Vala."

She gave Daniel a harsh look. "My father used to tell me that he would find it for me, obviously he never did."

The lady interrupted their bickering. "Yes, that is the Shashana gem. Get it for me, in one piece, and I will give you the cure for your friend. Oh, but I would hurry if I were you, your friend has probably about five to seven days to live if he gets no cure."

Daniel didn't think that he and Vala should be dealing with this lady, but it seemed as if they had little choice. However, he still didn't know if she was being truthful or not. "How do we know that you actually have a cure?" He squinted his eyes skeptically at the woman.

"Do you think I would risk my life to come here, in this disease ridden hell, if I didn't have a cure waiting for me back home? You already asked me why I wasn't worried about catching the disease."

Daniel sighed, they would just have to take her word for it. "Okay, how do we get this gem and how do we get it to you once we find it?"

She smiled wryly. "I will give you the gate address to my home planet, when you arrive ask to see Healer Gana and they will take you to me. If you have the gem that I spoke of, I will give you a dose of my cure. As for finding the gem, I will give you the address to the planet it is rumored to be on. I will warn you that there is a good reason that I have not gone to find the gem myself..."

Vala raised an eyebrow at her. "That is?"

"The gem is hidden in a temple, and not just any temple. This temple has many traps, deadly ones, along the way. It also contains large labyrinths and intricate puzzles that need to be solved to get further into the temple. No one has ever been able to get the gem. Everyone who has tried has either died or given up. Now, I must be going. Good luck, you'll need it."

Daniel turned to Vala. "Looks like we are going on an adventure."

**End of Chapter 2. Reviews are always appreciated and loved!**

**-J**


	3. Chapter 3

Title: The Journey

Summary: Daniel and Vala are on a race against time to save a dying Cameron.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate.

**Chapter 3: Trouble in the Temple**

Daniel and Vala returned to Earth not long after speaking with the old woman. Daniel wondered if General Landry would even approve of a mission to find some gem to save Cameron. It would certainly be very dangerous.

The pair found Landry and briefed him on what had happened back on the planet.

He looked at them, confused. "So, you're saying that an old woman supposedly has the cure to this disease that Colonel Mitchell has?"

Vala nodded at the general. "Yes, she claims that if we find the Shashana gem and bring it to her that she will give us a dose of the cure for Cameron."

Landry raised an eyebrow. "Do you two believe her?"

Daniel sighed and ran his hand through his short sandy brown hair. "Well, she was on the planet with no protection from the disease. Besides, I'm not sure what other choice that we have right now, she claims that without the cure, Cam will die in five to seven days."

"I cannot ask you two to go on a mission just to save one team member, it will be your decision."

Daniel and Vala looked at each other in question. A nod from both of them was the answer.

"Yes, sir, we wish to go. We want to try to save our friend," Daniel said and Vala nodded in agreement.

Landry sighed. "Okay then, pack up what you think you will need and head out."

Vala and Daniel stuffed their packs with as much food, ammo, and supplies as they could and traversed through the gate to the address that the old lady had given them.

Daniel immediately saw a large pyramid in the distance, it was almost completely covered by vines and seemed to be crumbling away in some areas.

Vala noticed the pyramid a moment later. "Do you think that pyramid is the temple that the lady was talking about?"

"Yes, that is one of the largest pyramids I've ever seen, I'm sure it is the big temple she was speaking about."

The pair got out the largest knives that they had and began to cut through the thick jungle brush that stood between them and the pyramid.

"This is ridiculous Daniel! It shouldn't be so difficult to get to this temple!"

The archeologist stopped and turned to Vala. "Okay look, we need to set some ground rules here. First of all, no complaining. We are here to save Cameron, you agreed to come so keep your negative comments to yourself. Second, no touching anything that you don't have to. Any little thing inside the temple may be a trap and I don't want your curiosity to kill us both. Last, we stay together at all times. I don't want us to get separated and lost. Okay?"

The former space pirate crossed her arms and huffed loudly. "Fine, can we add that you aren't allowed to be grouchy with me to that list?"

Daniel glared at her. "No." He turned back around and they continued on.

As they moved onwards, Vala began to hum lightly. Daniel was already annoyed with her and was very tempted to tell her to stop, but then he figured that it was better than her complaining so he kept his mouth shut. He just didn't understand how one person could annoy him so much, and yet he still cared for her. She had become one of his best friends, and he had to admit, she made a great team member as well.

A little over an hour later, they arrived at the pyramid. "Okay Vala, look for a door, an opening, or some sort of inscription."

She smiled brightly at him. "Already did darling."

He looked at her in surprise. She dusted off part of the pyramid and Daniel saw that she had indeed found an inscription. He went over to inspect it, squinting his eyes at the writing on the pyramid wall.

"Inside these walls, lies the most valuable gem in the galaxy. It is protected by puzzles, traps, and labyrinths designed so only the Almighty Ra may finally claim the gem for himself." Daniel laughed as he read the Goa'uld writing out loud.

Vala wrinkled her brow in confusion. "What's so funny Daniel?"

"Ra is dead. Jack and I, along with many Abydonians, killed him over ten years ago."

Vala laughed a bit. "So I guess that the 'Almighty Ra' will not be returning for his precious gem then?"

Daniel nodded, pressing the wall to look for a hidden door. "It doesn't look like anybody has tried to obtain this gem for many years, I only hope that it is still there."

Vala ran her hands along the wall as well to help her friend. "Oh, and maybe there will be some other treasure in the temple as well!"

Daniel gave her a look of warning. "Vala, we are here to get the gem to save Cam. This isn't a treasure hunt."

"I was only kidding darling, but I am still mad at you for never giving me any of the treasure from Glastonbury."

"Seriously? That was years ago!"

She crossed her arms again and stuck her nose in the air. "Still mad."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'll make you a deal. If you shut up right now and if you are well behaved for the rest of the time that we are here, I'll buy you some jewelry when we get back." He was getting desperate here, but he figured any mention of a possible gift would make her behave.

Sure enough, her face lit up. "Oh Daniel! Really? Can I get a pretty bracelet with gemstones on it?"

Daniel rolled his eyes again, she was just so childlike at times. "Sure, but you have to follow the rules, so shut up and keep looking for an entrance."

Vala did as she was told, and a few minutes later, the wall in front of her began to shake.

She and Daniel immediately stepped back as they watched the wall ascend upwards. The dark pyramid's interior loomed before them.

"It's now or never," Daniel mumbled as he turned on his flashlight and stepped into the gloom.

Vala stumbled along behind him, keeping so close to him that he could feel her breath against the back of his neck.

"I swear if the ceiling starts coming down on us I'm going to go crazy."

Daniel scowled. "Well, that never would have happened if you hadn't touched something you weren't supposed to!"

"Yeah, yeah, blame me for everything."

"Well that really WAS your fault!"

Daniel stopped suddenly, causing Vala to almost topple both of them over.

"There is a light up ahead."

Vala peered over his shoulder. "Yes, I see it!"

They headed towards the flickering light. When they got close enough, they saw that the light was illuminating a panel with more writing as well as a drawing on it. Next to the panel, was a door.

Daniel leaned closer to read the writing and read it to Vala. "Memorize the drawing to lead you to the other side. One false step could be your last."

**End of Chapter 3. Small cliffhanger. Reviews are loved.**

**-J**


	4. Chapter 4

Title: The Journey

Summary: Daniel and Vala are on a race against time to save a dying Cameron.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate.

**Chapter 4: One False Step**

_Daniel leaned closer to read the writing and read it to Vala. "Memorize the drawing to lead you to the other side. One false step could be your last."_

Vala looked at Daniel with confusion in her gray eyes. "What does that mean?"

"Well, the drawing is like a map of sorts. See how it shows three squares going forward, then two going left and so on?"

Vala nodded and Daniel continued. "I think that that shows the directions we need to take coupled with the correct number of steps to get us through to the other side."

"But why will one false step be our last? What happens if we make a mistake?" Vala bit her bottom lip nervously.

"I don't know, but I certainly don't want to find out. Can you help me memorize the map?"

"Of course darling, let me see...hmm...three steps forward, two steps left, four forward, three right, two forward, five right, two forward, four left, and three forward." Vala muttered the sequence over and over again softly to herself.

After several moments of studying the map, Daniel took a deep breath. "Okay, let's get going. I'll lead us and you can hang on to my backpack and follow my every step. Take small slow steps so you don't trip or fall or get out of line."

Vala nodded. "Okay, but go slowly please."

Daniel opened the door and Vala attached herself to his backpack. He nervously took a step forward into the pitch black room, counting the steps as he went. When Vala was through as well, the door slammed shut behind them leaving them in the dark to find their way through the maze.

Daniel took the three steps forward and then stepped left, correctly remembering that left was the next direction to take. "You okay back there Vala?"

"Yes, let's just get out of here as soon as we can," Vala said, her voice weaker than usual.

"Okay, just keep following my lead."

Daniel and Vala had made it about half way through the maze when Daniel began to question his memory. He thought that he had to go left next, but he wasn't one hundred percent sure. "Vala? We go five steps left next, right?"

"Umm, I think we go five steps right, not left."

Daniel groaned. "I thought it was left. Are you sure it was right?"

Vala sighed audibly. "Well I can't be certain, but I'm pretty sure it was right."

Daniel still thought that the correct route went left next and he trusted his memory more than Vala's. "Well I really think that we should go left next, I'm going to try."

"Daniel wait no!"

It was too late, Daniel started to go left and immediately fell over the side. He caught himself at the last moment, hanging dangerously over the edge of the maze.

"Daniel!" Vala was screaming as she tried to find him in the dark.

"I'm barely hanging on down here! Try to find my hands in the dark and help lift me up!"

Vala carefully kneeled down and searched for Daniel. Her hands eventually found his and she helped him get a better grip on the edge with one hand while hanging on to her with the other. A few tense moments later, he was back inside the maze.

Vala helped him up. "You should have listened to me! I knew we had to go right next!"

"I'm sorry, let's just get out of here."

The two of them slowly began to move in the correct direction again until Daniel's hand came upon a door latch. He pushed it open and he and Vala stumbled into the light of the next room of the temple.

They squinted at the bright light that assaulted their eyes.

"I'm so glad that that is over with," Vala said as she sat down to rest for a moment.

Daniel sat beside her and got out a bottle of water and took a drink. "You're telling me, I thought was going to die there for a second. I guess we know why one false step would be our last now."

Vala shivered in spite of the heat inside of the temple. "Maybe next time you will trust me."

He turned to look at her and saw a stray tear tumble down her cheek. He wiped it away and turned her to face him. "Hey, it's okay. We made it out alive. I apologize for not trusting you."

She sniffled. "I'm glad you're alright darling, don't scare me like that again!"

Daniel chuckled a bit. "Well, I'll try not to. You ready to move on?" He got back on his feet and adjusted his backpack.

Vala nodded and Daniel took her hand to help pull her up.

They headed down the corridor, cautious of anything and everything that was around them. After what they had just been through, they weren't going to take any chances.

After several minutes of uneventful travel through the temple, Daniel's mind began to wander. He was worried about Cameron. He and Vala couldn't even get any updates on how he was doing while they were searching for the gem. He realized that Cam was in the very capable hands of Dr. Lam, but he just couldn't get the image of a sickly pale Cam lying in a bed in quarantine.

"Darling? Do you think Cam will hang on until we find the gem?"

Daniel shook himself out of his thoughts. "I certainly hope so. I was just thinking about him too."

"I really hope we can save him, even though I'm not sure how much he likes me."

Daniel turned to look at his former space pirate friend. "Why would you say that? Cameron is your friend."

Vala shrugged a bit. "I don't know, sometimes I think that everyone at the SGC just puts up with me because they feel like they have to."

Daniel wasn't sure where she was getting that idea from. "That's not true. We all like you, especially the other members of SG-1."

Vala looked Daniel in the eye. "Do _you_ like me Daniel?"

Daniel looked away from her, suddenly uncomfortable. He didn't know exactly what she meant by her question. Sure he liked her as a friend, he had for quite some time now. Did he like her as something more? Well, as much as part of him screamed no, another part wouldn't put that idea to rest quite yet. Yes she annoyed the hell out of him, but she was also an important part of his life, a part that he never wanted to lose.

He realized that she was waiting for an answer, an answer that he wasn't sure he knew yet.

"I like you Vala, you are one of my best friends." Daniel decided that that was the best answer he could give her at the moment.

She frowned slightly at him before quickly turning it into a small smile. "You are one of my best friends too, even though you're a geek."

Daniel laughed to himself. She just had to add that didn't she?

By that time, Vala had boldly ventured in front of Daniel, effectively taking the lead in their journey. When they came to a sudden dead end, she pressed her hands against the wall to look for a hidden door or switch.

Daniel came over to help. He ran his fingers along the right side of the wall until he found a smooth spot among the roughness of the wall. He pressed on it and the wall broke apart before them, unveiling two tunnels ahead.

**End of Chapter 4. I promise the next few chapters will be much more eventful! I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far, review and let me know please.**

**-J**


	5. Chapter 5

Title: The Journey

Summary: Daniel and Vala are on a race against time to save a dying Cameron.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate.

**Chapter 5: Mind Games**

_He ran his fingers along the right side of the wall until he found a smooth spot among the roughness of the wall. He pressed on it and the wall broke apart before them, unveiling two tunnels ahead._

One tunnel veered left and the other right. In between was a small section of wall with an inscription written on it.

Daniel walked over to it and wiped the dust from the writing. "It says: Choose the correct tunnel on your journey to the Shashana gem. One tunnel leads further into the temple, the other tunnel leads to certain death. Choose wisely, because once you enter either tunnel the entrance will be closed off forever."

Vala bit her lip nervously. "I don't like this, how are we going to get back through all of this if the tunnels close behind us?"

Daniel sighed. "Well, I'm hoping that there will be another, easier way out once we find the gem."

"I sure hope so darling, now which tunnel?"

Daniel looked around for any hint about which tunnel to choose but found none. "I have no idea, there does not seem to be any indication as to which one to choose."

Vala looked frustrated. "Well I say the tunnel to the right."

Daniel looked at her skeptically. "Why that one?"

She gazed back at him and shrugged. "I don't know, I just have a feeling that that is the correct one."

"Well, I learned my lesson in that maze, I trust your judgment."

Vala looked at him in shock. "You...you do?"

He gave her a sincere gaze. "I do."

The pair hesitantly ventured into the tunnel to the right. As soon as they were both completely inside, the tunnel began to shake violently as a wall blocked out the entrance.

Vala let out a puff of air. "Well I certainly hope that I was right."

"Me too," mumbled Daniel as they made their way through the tunnel.

His mind began to drift off as they traveled. He thought of how crazy his life was. Just a few years ago, he didn't even know Cameron or Vala, and now they were both vital members of SG-1 and two of his best friends. He never would have guessed that the sneaky space pirate who tried to hijack the Prometheus would be here with him, trying to save their friend. She had definitely made some major life changes and he was immensely proud of her for that.

He was still in thought when he heard Vala scream.

He turned toward her. "What's wrong?"

She ignored him, staring into the space in front of her, a look of shock playing across her face. "Adria?"

"Adria is dead Vala." Daniel didn't know why Vala was acting so strangely.

Again she ignored him. She was talking to the air. "No, you're...gone. I saw Morgan Le Fay defeat you! No! Go away!"

Daniel was confused. Vala was hallucinating or something. He went over and pulled her into his arms. "Adria is gone Vala. She isn't here. Whatever you are seeing isn't real."

She crumbled in his arms, gripping his shirt and sobbing loudly. "I swear I saw her! She...she..." Vala trailed off.

Daniel slowly rocked her in his arms. "Shh...it's okay. I promise that she is gone. It will be okay."

Vala drew away from him a bit. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

Daniel held her at arms' length. "You okay to continue now?"

She nodded. "Yes, I think maybe the tunnel is playing mind games with me. If you see anyone besides me, don't believe it."

"Okay, I'll take that into consideration."

Daniel and Vala continued their trek in silence for the next half hour. The tunnel seemed to go on forever, but nothing seemed to be happening. All of the sudden Daniel saw somebody standing in the distance. He was sure that the person was just a hallucination, especially when he saw that the person was Sha're.

"Daniel! What are you doing here with this woman? You are my husband!" Sha're looked at Daniel angrily.

He shook his head and squinted his eyes closed. "No, no you are not here. I am just hallucinating."

Sha're stepped closer. "I am very much here! I see you with her. I see the way she looks at you...my husband!

"No, you died, many years ago."

Vala shook Daniel. "Snap out of it darling! It isn't real!"

Vala's shaking caused the image of Sha're to fade away.

"Daniel? Who did you see?" Vala cocked her head to the side in curiosity.

He was still trying to shake his dead wife's image from his head. "Sha're. She was yelling at me for being here with another woman."

"Stupid temple! It made us hallucinate, who knows what it will do next?" Vala threw her hands up in the air in frustration.

They soon found out. Daniel and Vala had only started walking again for about fifteen minutes when it started. The voices.

At first he thought that it was just his own mind speaking to him, but his own mind never morphed into more than one voice, voices of his friends. The voices were telling him all kinds of terrible things.

"You are a horrible teammate and friend! You will never get back in time to save me," said Cam's voice.

"You should quit SG-1 before I am forced to make you resign," piped up the voice of General Landry.

Sam's voice resonated next. "You are so stupid Daniel, look at you falling for Vala when everyone knows that she just wants to have sex with you. Well, you and almost every other guy around. You do know that she had sex with Cam when they went to Kansas for his high school reunion right?"

Daniel had had enough. "Stop!" He put his hands over his ears, yelling loudly.

Vala snapped out of a trance-like state to stare at Daniel. "Are you hearing voices too?"

He nodded. "They are basically telling me what a bad person I am."

"Me too. You think it is just the temple playing tricks on us again?"

"Boy I hope so. Either that or we are both going crazy at the exact same time, which isn't likely."

Vala slumped to the ground. "I'm very tired. Can we rest for the night?"

Daniel joined her. "I think that is a good idea, we have had enough for one day."

They both got ready for bed, pulling out their sleeping bags. Once settled in, Daniel turned to Vala. He was curious about what Sam's voice had told him.

"Vala?"

"Hmm?" She opened up her gray eyes.

Daniel couldn't quite keep her gaze. "Umm, I was just wondering. Uh...did you and Cameron...umm do anything when you went to his school reunion?"

An odd look passed over Vala's face. "What do you mean?"

Daniel sighed, she wasn't making this easy on him. "I mean like...were you two...uh...intimate with each other?"

Her eyes widened considerably. "Intimate? Do you mean did we have sex?"

He nodded.

"Oh hell no! Are you crazy? Me and Mitchell? That was a long time ago, what brought this on?"

Daniel decided to be truthful with her. "Well, one of the voices said that to me, I just had to know if it was true or not."

She shook her head so hard that her wild black curls flung around her face. "Definitely not true! Now that we have cleared that up, let's get some sleep okay?"

"Okay, goodnight Vala."

She leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek. "Night darling."

**End of Chapter 5. Reviews are appreciated.**

**-J**


	6. Chapter 6

Title: The Journey

Summary: Daniel and Vala are on a race against time to save a dying Cameron.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate.

**Chapter 6: Puzzles and Poison**

The next day, Daniel and Vala headed further into the temple. Daniel was still thinking about the mind tricks that the temple had played on him the night before. He was very relieved that there was nothing going on between Vala and Cameron, not that it would matter if they didn't find the gem soon. Daniel was hit suddenly by what else the 'Sam' voice had said to him. It had said that he was falling for Vala. Was he? Could he really trust her in a real relationship? It was all too much to think about. He decided to put it out of his mind for the time being and focus on finding the gem.

Vala had sauntered in front of Daniel to take the lead. They traveled in near silence, both in deep thought and concentration to save their dying friend.

Vala stopped all of the sudden.

Daniel wasn't paying attention to where he was going so he almost ran into her. "What is it?"

"I don't know, some sort of...writing, care to read it?"

Daniel went over to the place on the side of the wall where Vala saw the writing. "Hmm...I think it is a riddle of sorts...I believe it says: 'At night they come without being fetched, And by day they are lost without being stolen.'"

Vala raised a brow and looked again at the writing. "This reminds me of what we went through to find Merlin's weapon. Do you know the answer darling?"

He thought to himself for several moments before answering. "I think that the riddle is talking about stars. They come out at night by themselves and by day time they are gone without being taken, it makes sense."

Vala nodded. "Okay, stars! Stars!" She yelled at the writing on the temple wall.

When nothing happened, Daniel translated the words stars in Ancient and then Goa'uld, but to no avail.

"What the hell? I don't get it!" Vala threw her hands up in the air in frustration.

Daniel leaned over to inspect the writing, looking for some type of clue. He brushed away at the dust and sand covering the wall. His hand caught on something.

He pulled at the item until it came loose. He was holding an oblong piece of stone.

"What's that?" Vala asked. "It looks like a stone pen or something."

"Yeah, it does, that gives me an idea." Daniel took the stone object and scratched the answer to the riddle into the stone right below the inscription.

A moment later, the floor gave away underneath them and they fell onto soft sand, lower into the temple.

Vala sputtered, trying to get the sand off of her. "Well I hope you were right about your answer."

Daniel stood up and shook the sand off. "Yeah me too. It does look there are more tunnels down here though, shall we explore them?"

"Of course, onward!" Vala pointed ahead of them to where the tunnel began to widen.

They had only gone about twenty feet or so when they came to an odd drawing on the wall in front of them. It looked like a circle with three triangles placed inside. One triangle was red, one blue, and one green.

"Another puzzle," Daniel mumbled.

"Looks like it, any idea what it is?"

For all that Daniel knew about ancient cultures and symbols, he had never seen a puzzle like the one before him. "I don't know, it doesn't look familiar to me."

Vala frowned. "Me neither, should we just try something?"

He shook his head. "No, I have a feeling that if we guess wrong that we will be in trouble. Let's just think about it for a minute."

The minutes ticked by and Daniel could not grasp what the puzzle meant. He looked over at his companion, who seemed just as confused as he was. "Any luck Vala?"

She glanced over in his direction. "Umm...no. The only thing that I keep going back to is the fact that Quetesh loved the color red, reminded her of the blood of her victims."

Daniel looked at her in shock. "Well, that's rather morbid. Do you think that it has anything to do with this puzzle though?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure, I knew several Goa'ulds who had a thing for red as well, and wasn't this temple made so that Ra could come get the Shashana gem? He was a Goa'uld."

Daniel wasn't sure if there was any logic to Vala's idea, but it was either try something or turn back, and it seemed as if turning back was no longer an option.

He sighed. "Okay, I will try the red one." He sucked in a deep breath and pressed the red triangle.

A harsh groaning sound flooded the room as a wall came down from behind them, trapping them between the two walls. They had no time to run out, they were caught.

"Uh, I think I may have been wrong." Vala looked around in fear.

"Look, let's not play the blame game here, look for another way out."

The two began to scramble at the sand under their feet and pounded at the walls around them. Nothing happened.

Vala dug at the sand by the far wall. She let out a sudden scream.

"What? What happened?" Daniel rushed over to her side.

She didn't say anything, just pointed to a white object jutting out of the sand.

Daniel leaned over to inspect it and found himself face to face with a skull. "I think we are in trouble." He looked over at Vala whose face had gone as white as the skull.

She put her hands over her face and shook her head. "It's all my fault! We are going to die here!"

Daniel put his arm around her to sooth her. "Hey, we will find a way out, we have enough air for a while."

"No, you don't understand. Not only are we trapped here, but poison gas is flooding in here as we speak!"

He turned to her in surprise, dropping his arm. "How do you know?"

She pointed to the wall that had come down to trap them. "While you were looking at the skull, I saw the inscription written here, it's in Goa'uld."

Daniel swallowed hard. "What does it say?"

She looked at him with tears welling up in her eyes. "It says: 'You have chosen incorrectly. The room you are trapped in is slowly filling up with a special kind of posion gas, it is both odorless and invisible, but you will be dead within the next twelve hours.'"

Daniel went over to inspect the writing for himself, not that he didn't believe Vala, more like he didn't want to. However, she was correct. They were going to die.

Vala was sobbing uncontrollably now. She sank down to the sandy ground and hugged herself.

Daniel was upset. He had died so many times before, and he doubted that he could ever ascend again. Not only that, but Vala was going to die as well, and that meant that Cameron would die soon too.

The only thing he could do was try to comfort Vala. He sat on the ground next to her and pulled her into his arms. He didn't say anything, just held her and rocked her while her tears soaked his shirt.

He pulled away a little and saw that her face and eyes were red and tear tracks ran all over her face. He gently wiped at her tears with his hand. She leaned into his hand a bit and something passed between them. Daniel couldn't look away from the beautiful woman before him. If they only had hours to live, he was going to comfort her the best that he could. There would be no consequences later to worry about.

His hand lingered on her cheek and he looked her in the eyes and brought his lips gently to hers. A small noise of surprise passed from her lips before she responded.

Daniel pulled her closer and turned the chaste kiss he had started into a deeper, more passionate one. As their tongues met, he felt a fiery passion explode between them.

No words were needed, the fire inside of them would not be ignored. They continued to kiss as they frantically tried to undress each other.

Normally, Daniel wouldn't let himself be overrun by passion, but he only had hours to live. He wanted this, wanted his last moments to be filled with pleasure, not fear.

He may have been giving Vala exactly what she always wanted, but with no possible repercussions, he would give her this one last thing, give _them_ this one last thing before they died.

Finally naked, they fell back onto the sand together. Lips collided, hands groped and moans filled the poisonous air around them.

If Daniel would have known that it would be this good he might have done this with her sooner, but he knew that the logical side of him would never have let him. A strong surge of emotion filled him as they collapsed, breathless. He wasn't sure what he was feeling exactly, but he figured that it wouldn't matter soon.

Vala curled up on Daniel's chest and they huddled together without speaking.

He just held onto her until they fell asleep, hoping that their death would be swift and painless.

**End of Chapter 6. Reviews are loved.**

**-J**


	7. Chapter 7

Title: The Journey

Summary: Daniel and Vala are on a race against time to save a dying Cameron.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate.

**Chapter 7: Wounds**

_He just held onto her until they fell asleep, hoping that their death would be swift and painless._

Several hours later, Daniel heard an angel calling his name softly. He was amazed that he had actually died and made it to heaven this time. The angel continued to call his name, urging him to open his eyes, but he could not seem to lift open his heavy eyelids.

He felt himself being shaken, gently at first, then with more force.

"Daniel!" The angel was getting more insistent now. The angel with the familiar accented voice.

His eyes slowly opened, and what do you know, he was wrong again. He was not dead, an angel was not calling his name. Vala was kneeling over him shaking him.

"Daniel? Oh, good you are awake." She sat back a bit.

Daniel rubbed his eyes. He thought that they were supposed to die. He didn't understand why he and Vala were still alive.

"Vala? What...?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I woke up a few minutes ago and the wall behind us was open again and we were still alive." She gestured with her hand to the place where the wall once stood.

Daniel groaned and stood up to get dressed. "No poison?"

"I guess not darling, either that or it didn't affect us for some reason."

"Well, we can't turn back. I guess we should try the puzzle again."

Vala nodded. "Okay, so which color now? Blue or green?"

Daniel was still trying to wake up from his deep sleep, memories of the previous night flooded his mind. He knew that Vala would want to discuss what had happened between them. He was just glad that she was keeping quiet about it for the time being.

"I have no idea, go ahead and try one, fifty-fifty chance you will be right."

She looked over at him with uncertainty in her gray eyes. "Just choose one?"

"Yes, it's the only thing we can do."

She swallowed hard before pressing the blue triangle hesitantly.

A tense moment passed while the two of them waited. The wall in front of them shook and then slowly ascended upwards.

Daniel smiled at Vala. "Looks like you choose correctly, let's get out of here."

They gathered their things and headed further down the tunnel. Daniel and Vala traveled in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Although Daniel was very glad that they were both alive and still had a chance to save Cameron, he couldn't help thinking about the possible repercussions of sleeping with Vala. Would they just go on pretending that it never happened? Would she go after another man now that she had gotten what she wanted out of him? Did she want something more out of him? Out of them? And what did he want? He cared for her deeply, but he wasn't sure if he could trust her in a relationship, hell he wasn't sure he could trust _himself_ in a relationship.

A few minutes later, the inevitable happened. "Daniel?"

He knew what was coming. "Yes?"

Vala kept her gaze on the ground. "Umm, I think we have to talk about what happened between us."

Daniel sighed hard, he really wished that she would just forget about it, at least until their journey was complete. "We don't need to discuss it right now, let's just focus on saving Cam."

She stopped suddenly, her head whipped around to face him. "No, we need to talk about it now."

Daniel didn't miss the venom in her words, or the anger glinting in her eyes. He couldn't do it though, he wasn't ready. "I can't have this conversation with you right now okay?"

The angry look grew even more furious, turning Vala's eyes into a fiery maelstrom of fury. She forcefully plopped back down onto the sand. "I'm not going anywhere until we straighten this out."

Daniel tried to pull her up. "Just stop! You are acting like a child, not that that is anything new. We are on working against the clock here, get up now!"

She wrenched her arm away from his. "No! I'm not moving so you better start talking if you want to save Mitchell."

He threw his hands in the air in frustration. She was making him very angry. Fine, he would tell her how it is. "Alright, you win. You want to know what I think about what happened last night?"

She just glared at him so he continued. "I thought we were going to die, so I figured one last romp would be a good way to leave this world. It was just a heat of the moment type of thing, don't read into it."

Vala's anger melted into a look of hurt. He had wounded her deeply.

Daniel wanted to apologize for his lie, he knew that what he said was not true. However, his pride got in the way. Even though he knew that she was hurt by his statement, he let her believe that it was the truth. It was easier that way.

"Oh, well I guess you cleared that up." Vala got back up, keeping her face forward, not even glancing at Daniel.

"Yes, now can we continue?"

As they ventured further into the temple, silence was the only thing that passed between them. Daniel just stared at the endless rows of walls on either side of him and the sandy ground beneath them. His muscles ached, almost as bad as his heart. He was sick of this whole situation, he just wanted to find the damn gem and get the cure for Cam.

Eventually the pair came to the end of the tunnel, they immediately pressed on the wall to look for a hidden door.

Vala's hand found it quickly and the wall fell away to a large room.

Vala entered first, followed by Daniel. "There it is! The Shashana gem!"

Vala pointed to the middle of the room where a very large, beautiful gem sat on a pedestal.

Daniel looked around the room, wary of traps. "Okay, let's be careful here. Who knows what kinds of traps are awaiting us in this room."

They studied the room cautiously, but could find nothing suspicious.

Vala turned to Daniel. "I don't see anything, let's go get it."

Daniel and Vala slowly made their way over to the gem, as Daniel reached for it, he prayed that it wasn't just a hologram.

His hands connected with the cool surface of the gem and he sighed in relief as he placed it carefully in his bag. "Let's get out of here."

Vala nodded as they looked for a way out. Finally finding an exit, they rushed over to it and left the room.

As soon as their feet hit the ground in the new tunnel, a horrible sound filled their ears and the temple began to shake violently.

Vala looked up to see the temple crumbling around them. "Umm, I think we need to hurry."

Daniel grabbed her hand and they ran through the tunnel, narrowly missing being hit by various pieces of stone that were falling all around them.

Finally Daniel saw daylight up ahead, he pulled Vala along faster as they stumbled out of the temple.

They quickly ran away from the collapsing pyramid. They found the path they had previously cut through and took it back.

Halfway back to the stargate, Vala tripped on a vine and fell with a scream.

Daniel stopped to help her up. "Come on." He really needed to get away from that place as soon as possible.

She shook her head and grimaced in pain. "I...I can't. I hurt my ankle!"

Daniel examined her rapidly swelling foot. "Damn, looks like you may have sprained it, I'll have to carry you back."

Vala whimpered as he lifted her into his arms and carried her back to where the stargate was.

He dialed the gate. "I'm sending you back to Earth, I will return to the old lady myself and get the cure for Cameron. Go tell General Landry that we found the gem and that I went to go get the antidote."

"But..."

"No, I can't have you limping around in case something bad happens on the other planet." The wormhole opened in front of them. "Go now, I'll be back as soon as I get the cure."

Vala let go of Daniel's supportive arm and limped her way to the stargate. With one last sad gaze at him, she stepped through the gate.

**End of Chapter 7. I hope everyone is enjoying the story. :)**

**-J**


	8. Chapter 8

Title: The Journey

Summary: Daniel and Vala are on a race against time to save a dying Cameron.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate.

**Chapter 8: Madness**

_Vala let go of Daniel's supportive arm and limped her way to the stargate. With one last sad gaze at him, she stepped through the gate._

Daniel watched as Vala disappeared through the wormhole and sighed. He was really hoping to have her with him in case he needed back up on the other planet. However, she would not be much help with a bad ankle, so he let her go back to Earth.

Once the wormhole had disengaged, Daniel quickly dialed the gate address that the old woman had given him.

He stepped through the gate and once on the other side, was immediately greeted by a throng of people bustling around a small village.

He stopped one of the men as they passed by. "Can you take me to Healer Gana?"

The man gave him a strange look. "If you wish," he said as he showed Daniel to a crumbling, thatched roof house close by in the village. "Don't know why you would want to see that crazy old bat, but here you go."

Daniel thanked him and knocked loudly on the thick wooden door. The old lady, Gana, better be ready to hand over the cure. He didn't go through all that trouble finding the Shashana gem for nothing.

Footfalls sounded on the other side of the door and it slowly creaked open to reveal the old woman, disheveled looking and squinting at the sight of Daniel.

"You! Do you have my gem? No way you got it!"

Daniel smirked and pulled the gem from his bag. Gana's eyes widened. She reached out with one gnarled hand to grab for the gem.

Daniel pulled away quickly. "Not so fast, I want the cure first." He slid the gem safely back into his bag.

She frowned at him. "Fine, fine, a deal's a deal. Come inside and I will get it for you." She held open the door and Daniel entered the small house.

She showed him to a living room of sorts and gestured towards a chair. "Sit there and I will go retrieve the cure for you, might take me a few minutes."

She walked down the hall leaving Daniel sitting in the chair.

He was busy worrying about Cameron and Vala when he heard the front door open and a voice call out. "Mother?"

Soon, a tall woman, probably in her late thirties, entered the living room. "Who are you? Where is my mother?"

Daniel swiftly stood up. "My name is Daniel, your mother went to get something for me."

The lady stepped closer. "Well, I'm Neona, her daughter. What exactly is she giving you?" She narrowed her eyes at Daniel, clearly suspicious.

"She has the cure for the disease that my friend has contracted."

Neona's face fell. "No she doesn't."

Daniel looked at her in shock. "What? Isn't she a healer? Didn't she discover a cure for the illness that ravaged this planet and that other one?"

The lady sighed and shook her head slowly. "She _was_ a healer years ago and she still goes by that title, but about ten years ago she slowly became mad. She is no longer a healer, she hasn't found a cure for anything for a long time."

Daniel was outraged. The old lady had lied to him and Vala and now poor Cameron was probably going to die! "You mean I went and got this gem, risking my life as well of the life of my friend for nothing?"

Neona looked at Daniel in shock. "The Shashana gem? You actually found it? I always thought that that was just a story my mother had made up."

He carefully removed the gem from the bag and showed it to her. "I have it right here, but I am certainly not going to give it to her without the cure she promised me. She was all over the dead bodies on the other planet. How did she not contract the disease?"

Neona gave Daniel a strange look. "She didn't eat the fruit."

Daniel was extremely confused. "Fruit? What fruit?"

"The people on the other planet died from a disease that was caused by eating the fruit of a plant infected by a certain parasite. No one on any other planet ever got sick."

Daniel's mind was trying to process what Neona was telling him. "But...but, my friend, he got sick and is dying and he never ate any fruit!"

"Well, whatever happened to him is not the disease on the planet, I promise you that. My mother probably just led you to believe that so you would go get her the gem. She has been obsessed with obtaining that gem for as long as I can remember."

Daniel was furious. "What am I going to do?"

Neona gave him a small smile. "I think I may be able to help you. Before my mother went crazy, she taught me all about healing. I know quite a few remedies and I could come with you to your world and try to help your friend if you wish."

He gazed at her dubiously. "Why should I trust you? You might be just as mad as your mother!"

She shook her head. "No, I'm not, and as an act of good faith, I will attempt to help your friend for free. So you can keep the gem, I'm sure you could trade it for almost anything."

"What about your mother?" Daniel glanced down the hall but didn't see any sign of the old woman.

"Let's just go now, she will be angry but will probably just go try to trick someone else."

Daniel followed her out of the house and into another one next door. There, Neona gathered loads of supplies to take with her to Earth.

The pair carried the items to the stargate and Daniel dialed Earth.

Soon, he was back at the SGC with Neona and her medicines in tow. General Landry and Vala, with her ankle wrapped up, were there waiting for him.

"Daniel! You made it back!" Vala grinned widely at him and hobbled up the ramp to hug him.

He was happy that she seemed to have forgotten about there argument.

That was, until she saw Neona. "Darling? You brought a woman home with you?" Vala's smile turned into a deep frown.

Daniel quickly made introductions to Landry and Vala, explaining what had happened with the old woman and the supposed cure.

Vala's face turned from angry to worried. "No cure? But Mitchell is doing worse!"

Neona spoke up. "Can I see him? I think I may be able to help him."

General Landry quickly led her to the infirmary, leaving Daniel to deal with Vala.

"Daniel, I was thinking..."

He groaned inwardly, he didn't think he wanted to know. "And?"

She continued. "You were right, what we did, you know in the temple, it was just a heat of the moment thingy, nothing serious."

Daniel was surprised at her words, but then he saw that she couldn't meet his gaze. She kept her head down and was shuffling uncomfortably on her good foot.

He knew that he should tell her the truth, that it _had _meant something to him, that she meant something to him. However, taking care of Cam was the priority right now. He would tell her when the time was right, if he ever got up the nerve.

"It's okay Vala, let's just take care Cameron."

She nodded and the two of them went down to the infirmary to see how Neona was doing with Cameron.

**End of Chapter 8. Reviews are appreciated as always!**

**-J**


	9. Chapter 9

Title: The Journey

Summary: Daniel and Vala are on a race against time to save a dying Cameron.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate.

**Chapter 9: There Are No Secrets**

_She nodded and the two of them went down to the infirmary to see how Neona was doing with Cameron._

Daniel went to the infirmary while Vala waited outside. Neona was leaning over Cameron, inspecting him. Dr. Lam was with her discussing all of Cam's symptoms with her.

Daniel stepped closer. Cam was still in quarantine so he had to wear a hazmat suit to see his friend.

"How is he doing?"

Carolyn spun around to face Daniel and gave him a small smile. "He has not being doing too well lately, but Neona has been checking him thoroughly so hopefully she will be able to help him."

Daniel nodded and left the room to update Vala. When he saw her, she was crying silently, small tears falling down her face.

He went over to her to give her a hug. "Hey now," he said as he pulled her into his embrace. "Don't cry, we did all that we could."

She pulled away from him and looked down at her feet. "I know, but I thought we were going to get a cure. Now we have to rely on a stranger to see if she can help Mitchell."

Daniel knew Vala and he knew by her actions and lack of eye contact towards him that something else was wrong as well.

"Vala? Are you okay? If there is something else wrong? You can tell me."

She looked back up at him, a defiant look in her gray eyes. "There is nothing else wrong Daniel, I just want Mitchell to get better."

She was lying and he knew it. However, pushing her right now seemed like a bad idea so he let it go.

After a long and draining debriefing with General Landry, Daniel was ordered to rest in his quarters for a few days so he could recuperate.

He practically flung himself on the soft bed, enjoying the comfort of it. After sleeping on the sandy ground for several days, something as simple as an actual bed was amazingly comforting.

A few hours later he was resting when a knock sounded at his door. "Come in," he yelled as he put on his glasses and found a tee shirt to slip on.

Daniel looked up and saw Sam enter the room. "Daniel!"

He smiled and jumped up to embrace his friend. "Sam! You're back from your honeymoon!"

She hugged him tightly before letting go and holding him at arms' length. Her easy smile switched to a frown. "Yes, little did I know that while I was gone my one friend was lying here dying and two of my other friends almost died trying to save him."

"I'm sorry, no one wanted to ruin your honeymoon to tell you."

Sam sighed. "It's okay, Jack refused to even turn on our phones until we got back. Anyway, as much as I wanted to see you and how you were doing, I have a bone to pick with you."

Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at her in confusion. "Oh boy, what's up?"

She frowned at him again before moving to sit in one of the chairs in Daniel's quarters. He quickly followed suit before she began. "I talked to Vala..." Sam trailed off and look pointedly at Daniel.

He should have known that was coming. "And?"

"She told me what happened, you know, between you two when you were supposed to die."

Daniel cursed to himself. "That's between me and Vala."

Sam gave him a rather harsh look. "Vala is one of my best friends Daniel, she tells me everything. You really hurt her you know."

He sighed. He knew as much by they way she had been acting, but he wasn't sure he was ready to apologize. Not that he wasn't sorry, but he knew that when he did that his feelings would be out in the open, feelings that he wasn't sure he was ready to tell her.

"I know, but I just wanted to focus on saving Cameron."

"You ever going to tell her the truth?"

He shook his head. "I don't even know what the truth is anymore."

Sam threw her hands up in the air. "Oh come on Daniel! I know you and I know that even if you were going to die that you wouldn't just sleep with a woman unless you had feelings for her!"

Daniel flinched. Sam knew him all too well. "Damn, I know you're right, but what about Vala? I can't be sure that she cares for me in the same way, or that I could trust her if she did."

"For someone so smart, you sure are dumb sometimes Daniel. She has loved you for years now. She wants to be with you so badly, but she holds back for your sake, so you don't feel rushed or pressured into anything. As for trust, you know that she has been a trustworthy friend for years now, you can trust her, she loves you."

He slumped back into his chair. He loved Vala, he wanted a real relationship with her, and if anybody knew how Vala felt for him, it was Sam. "I really messed up, didn't I?"

She nodded. "Yes, but it's not too late to fix it."

Sam exited after their conversation and Daniel was left alone to deal with his feelings. He wanted some way to apologize to Vala so that she couldn't possibly be mad at him anymore, so she would forgive him and they could start something real. He laid back down on his bed to think and right before he fell asleep, an idea popped into his head.

The next day, Daniel went off base even though he was supposed to be resting. He had a few important errands to run that could not wait any longer.

He returned late in the day and checked in on Cam. He meet up with Neona outside of the infirmary.

"How is he?"

She smiled at him. "I've figured out what is wrong with him. He has caught the Cerulen flu. His symptoms are the exact same as we used to see in children on my home planet. Years ago, this flu was deadly, but now children get the vaccine early on in life to avoid contracting it. The planet that you all visited before he got the disease also had a problem with Cerulen flu, I'm sure that is how he contracted it."

"Can you help him?"

Neona nodded. "Yes, I have some medicine and supplements that should help him to get over this. However, it will be a long recovery."

Daniel was pleased to here that Cameron would be okay. "I don't know how to thank you..."

She waved her hand dismissively in the air. "No need, it's the least I can do considering what you went through because of my mother."

"Isn't she going to be angry that she won't be getting her gem?"

Neona sighed. "Honestly, she is so far gone that she will probably forget about it soon, her madness worsens by the day."

Daniel apologized to Neona before going to see Vala to update her on Cam's condition.

He knocked on the door to Vala's quarters, nervously shifting the bag in his hand. Vala answered the door and upon seeing Daniel, frowned a little.

"Daniel? Can I help you?" She opened the door wider for him to enter and quickly shut it behind them once he did.

"I just talked to Neona, she has a cure for Cam."

Vala's face visibly brightened. "Really? He is going to be okay?"

Daniel nodded and told her what Neona had said to him.

Vala poked at the bag Daniel was carrying. "What's this?"

He pulled the bag out of her reach. "You'll see. First, we have to talk."

Her defense was up in an instant. "Nothing to talk about..."

Daniel sighed and then sat down on her bed, pulling her down with him. "Yes, there is. I got a not so nice visit from Sam yesterday."

Vala didn't meet his gaze. "Yeah, I figured you might get an earful from her."

"I most certainly did, and I deserved it."

She sniffled but looked up at him with confusion clouding her eyes. "What?"

He continued. "I deserved to get yelled at for what I did to you and I'm sorry. I...I'm...sorry this is difficult for me." He took a deep breath before finishing his statement. "I lied to you in the temple. I just couldn't tell you at the time, but I think I'm ready now."

Vala scrunched up her face. "Tell me what?"

Daniel sighed loudly. "Tell you that it meant something..."

A wry smile graced her lips. "What meant something?" She put on her best innocent look.

He swore to himself. She knew very well what he was talking about! But no, she was going to make him say it. "What happened between us in the temple, when we, uh, had sex."

"What did it mean to you?"

She certainly wasn't making this easy on him, but he supposed that he deserved it. "It meant everything to me. It meant that I love you, that I want to be with you. You and me, together, in a real relationship."

Vala's breath caught. Before she could say anything, Daniel brought out two boxes from the bag he had with him. He handed her the smaller box first. "This is for you, open it."

She smiled at him before lifting the top off of the small white box, inside was a delicate and intricate white gold diamond bracelet. She took it out and inspected it before turning to Daniel in confusion. "What is this for?"

Daniel smiled and helped her clasp the bracelet around her wrist. "I believe that I promised you that I would buy you a pretty bracelet if you behaved in the temple." He handed Vala the second, larger box next. "You behaved, so I got you this bracelet and also this as well." he gestured for her to open the second box.

Vala pried open the lid to look at the contents inside of the package. Her smile lit up the room. "Darling, you know that I love you, but if you think that I am going to forgive you for what you said to me just because you bought me pretty things you are..."

Daniel cut her off with a kiss. Her words muffled, Vala happily kissed him back, the box containing a beautiful one of a kind gem, forgotten in an instant.

**The End! Let me know if you enjoyed the story! **

**-J**


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